'Last Vegas': It ain't Noel Coward, but it's a LOT of fun!

Wednesday

Oct 30, 2013 at 7:26 PM

Sales of President Obama masks at Party City in Augusta, Maine, are down ... way down. The public has spoken; no one fantasizes about being a politician anymore. The most popular costume at that Party City? The minions from 'Despicable Me.' ... The costumes we choose say something about who we are, or wish to be," writes English professor Jennifer Finney Boylan.

Come to think of it, "Despicable Me" is still one of the best movies in recent years!

There is so little to see about the star Robert Redford in his current tight-lipped portrayal of a man dying at sea in the movie "All Is Lost."

So we can focus on the ring the character Redford is wearing on his left hand — silver with a turquoise inset. Well, you can order this "Eye of the Storm Ring" for $210 from the Sundance catalogue.

Mr. Redford isn't a star and a businessman for nothing. Log onto www.sundancecatalog.com.

"Do you have any drugs? Asks the sleazy Las Vegas lady.

"Does Lipitor count?" responds Kevin Klein.

OK, right off the bat, let me admit the humor in "Last Vegas," a movie about four men of a certain age who decide to party in Sin City, doesn't get a lot better than that. But, and I cannot stress this vigorously enough, the talents and commitment of Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline raise their material to, well — not quite genius, but maybe something better. My face hurt from smiling after this movie ended! And the entire packed house at the Zeigfeld Theatre, where the premiere was held, all pretty much said the same thing! I have rarely heard such continual laughter and spontaneous applause throughout any film. And it received a tremendous ovation. Nobody wanted to think about what is wrong with the world as they filed out, they just knew they'd been entertained and, boy, they needed it.

"Last Vegas," directed by Jon Turteltaub, is kind of a geriatric "The Hangover," or a male "Golden Girls." And it misses no Viagra or prostate reference. But it so very well intentioned, the acting of the four principals so meshed and flowing, that the hoariest old reference to the old can be forgiven — indeed welcomed. Again, I can't stress the positive audience reaction. Critics will probably kill it.